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What's Up Next for the Xbox 360?

Over the last few weeks, we've documented just about everything you'll ever want to know about Microsoft's latest piece of gaming hardware, the recently launched Xbox 360. We've told you all about the system's cutting-edge multimedia capabilities, the tremendous Xbox Live support, as well as the games that were available at launch. Of course, this is just the beginning of the console's life cycle, so we figured that now would be as good a time as any to check out what's in store for the future of the system. Over the next few days, we'll be taking a look at some of the games that you can expect to see in 2006 and beyond. Although most of these titles have been officially announced, we don't really know all that much about them, a fact that isn't about to stop us from speculating. So, without further ado, let's take a look into the Xbox 360's future.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 4

When last we saw super-spy Sam Fisher, he was saving the world (yet again) from terrorists bent on world domination. In his next adventure, however, it's rumored that Sam will go from being the hunter to being the hunted, and early screenshots suggest that he'll be spending some time behind bars. That's right: the man voiced by the one and only Michael Ironside is going to prison. But why? Well, all you've got to do is check out the game's website (www.bewaresamfisher.com) for a little bit of info.

According to the site, Sam's daughter Sarah is killed in a car accident, either before or during the action seen in the game. For some reason, he proceeds to rob a number of banks, remorselessly killing several civilians in the process. Once the authorities somehow capture him, he's sent to a federal prison. The site suggests that he's got plans to break out, but why would he allow himself to end up there in the first place? Has his finally lost it? Is this his form of mourning? We won't know until sometime in 2006, but you can be sure this will take the series in a wild new direction.

The last game in this popular RPG series, Morrowind was one of the Xbox's most beloved games, so it's no surprise that Bethesda Softworks is taking its time to make the new game one of the 360's must-have titles. While fans were bummed that the game didn't make the launch date, they have every reason to feel safe with the knowledge that the finished product will kick some serious medieval ass. The game is presented from a first-person view, allowing you to feel even more immersed in the immense world that the developer has created. Stunning graphics and highly realistic lighting effects add to the realism, as does a nice variety of environments, from sprawling forests to claustrophobia-inducing dungeons.

There are a lot of reasons to be excited about this game, from the deep character creation and customization system to the amazing AI that actually allows every NPC in the game to learn new skills. It's probably the closest that any game has come to presenting a living, breathing world, one where your actions don't influence everything around you. Instead, you're just another inhabitant, albeit one that is trying to save the kingdom from the forces of evil. Plus, you've got to be psyched about a game that lets you hack and slash at your enemies from the first-person perspective without it feeling like a gimmick.